


Tying the Knot

by AniDragon



Series: Riona Shepard [4]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Shepard Siblings, Shepard Twins, Shepard has poor impulse control, Wedding, Wedding Fluff, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-18
Updated: 2014-02-18
Packaged: 2018-01-12 21:34:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1201480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AniDragon/pseuds/AniDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After destroying the Collector base, Shepard and Thane decide to get married, not wanting to waste any more of the time that they have left together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tying the Knot

**Author's Note:**

> Big thank you to my beta-readers, Kaylizle, Ridyr, and Reokit!

They’d made it.

Shepard almost couldn’t believe it. It hadn’t gone perfectly, of course. She hadn’t expected it to. The extra time they’d taken to make sure the ship was ready had cost them some of the Cerberus crew, and Shepard would make sure that they’d be honoured. Joker and Dr. Chakwas had already come to her with plans for a memorial once everyone had rested.

Her squad had all made it out alive, which was far more than she’d had any reason to hope for. There was one point, near the end, when Thane had begun sliding towards the edge of the platform. Her heart had just about stopped when she’d made her first grab for his hand and missed. She’d barely come to terms with the fact that she’d eventually lose him to Kepral’s Syndrome, and she was nowhere near ready to lose him now, not when they were so close to the end of the mission.

But then she’d made another grab, and their hands connected. She’d held on with all the strength she’d had left, and was able to pull him back up.

Once they were back on the Normandy – and after giving the Illusive Man a piece of her mind – she made a quick round to check on the surviving crew. Satisfied that they’d make it through the night, she made a stop at the armoury to change back into her BDUs, then headed down to the cargo bay, where her team had gathered.

Everyone looked exhausted, and she was sure she didn’t look any better. But it was the satisfied exhaustion of a job well done. She met each of their eyes, spending a bit of extra time to grip a shoulder, or to shake a hand with the specialists she’d put in more dangerous situations. Garrus, who’d done a spectacular job of leading the other fire team. Tali, for braving the ventilation shafts. Mordin, for getting the surviving crew members back to the ship. Samara, for holding up the biotic barrier that protected them from the seeker swarms.

Thane was waiting for her at the end, and when she got to him, she threw professionalism to the wind and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a hard kiss.

She heard Kasumi hoot, but then Thane’s arms were around her and she wasn’t aware of anything else but _him_. 

Shepard wasn’t sure how long it was before they separated. Long enough for the squad to have left them alone, it seemed. Even after they did, she continued to pepper kisses along his jaw, then raised her eyes to his, “Marry me.”

His eyes widened, and his hands froze on her waist, “...Have you thought this through?”

“Not really,” She admitted guiltily. She knew that a future with Thane was uncertain, and likely to be short. But almost losing him on the mission... If she wasn’t going to have much time left with him, she wanted each minute to matter.

He brought a hand up to her face and rubbed her cheek with his thumb, “ _Siha_ , I love you. And I would... If you’re certain, then yes, of course. But perhaps it would be best if you took some time to think about this when we haven’t just cheated death?”

She flushed, then leaned her head on his shoulder to hide her face, “Right.”

“You need not be embarrassed,” His hands returned to her back, and began to rub small circles along her spine, “Get some rest. Think about how this decision will weigh on you. If you ask me again after that, then I _will_ say yes. If not, I won’t take offense.”

She nodded into his shoulder, relieved that the rest of the squad had taken their leave. While his response had most definitely not been a refusal, she was still rather glad that it hadn’t been public.

He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze, “Come to bed. You look exhausted.”

~*~

Due to her Cerberus implants, Shepard generally didn’t need as much sleep as most people. As such, she’d been awake for a couple of hours before Thane’s eyes fluttered open.

“Hey,” She said, leaning into him. She’d allowed herself the luxury of lounging in bed, feeling that she’d earned it, “How are you feeling?”

He turned onto his side to face her, wincing, “A bit sore, though that’s to be expected. But otherwise I am fine. And you?”

“Same,” She answered, then leaned forward to kiss him, “So I’ve thought about it. I still want to marry you.”

He smiled against her lips, “I admit, I am... happy that you still feel that way.”

She nodded, “I know it won’t be easy. I know your illness will only get worse. And I know that now that our mission’s over, you’ll be wanting to spend more time with Kolyat, and I won’t get in the way of that. I fully expect you to put him first. I just... I want to be part of your life. Whatever’s left of it. I want to get to know Kolyat, and to be there with you through your treatments.”

He brought a hand up to brush her hair behind her ear, “I am not sure how open Kolyat will be to getting to know you. From the few times I’ve visited him since our reunion he’s seemed... confused, by my relationship with you. I doubt he will protest our marriage outright, but I don’t want you to be disappointed if he doesn’t open up to you. He’s barely opened up to me.”

“I would like to talk to him before we do anything...” She admitted, “If nothing else, to reassure him that I’m not trying to replace his mother, or... I don’t know, take away any inheritance you might have for him or anything like that.”

Thane let out a small laugh, “I believe I’ve spoken well enough about you that he won’t think you’re a con artist. But, if you were to meet with him, that would make me happy. The two of you are the most important people left in my life. It would certainly make things easier on me if you got along.”

“I don’t think the Normandy will make it all the way to the Citadel unless we stop for repairs first, but once I’ve got a timeframe, I’ll let you know so that you can send him a message. In the meantime,” Shepard grinned, and brought a hand up to Thane’s chest, “We were both too tired to celebrate our victory last night. I think we’re a bit overdo, don’t you?”

~*~

When they met Kolyat at a cafe a couple of weeks later and told him the news, he seemed... unimpressed, to say the least.

He crossed his arms, and leaned back into his chair, “Look... I... it’s been a long time since mom died, you really don’t need my permission to move on. I can’t say that I get the appeal of humans, but if you want to marry her, go right ahead.”

Shepard glanced at Thane for a bit of courage, then took a deep breath and returned her gaze to Kolyat, “I was... hoping to get to know you a bit better, before we went any further.”

“Why? You’re not marrying _me_.” 

“Your father is important to me,” She said, “And you’re important to him. Like it or not, we’re both going to be part of his life, and that will be easier if we get along.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes, every bit the angry teenager, “Fine. What do you want to know?”

Shepard barely resisted the urge to laugh as she flagged down a waiter, “Let’s start with how you take your coffee. My treat.”

In the end, she didn’t learn much more about Kolyat than what Thane had already told her, but he’d at least uncrossed his arms by the end of the conversation, so she counted it as a win. He’d asked her a few questions as well, mostly about her own family, which surprised her. She told him about her brother Warren, and her cousin Rachel who’d been like another sibling. She talked about her parents’ military service. She told him about how she, Warren, and Rachel all joined the Alliance together.

“Do you still see them?” He asked.

“Not as much as I’d like,” She admitted, “I sent Warren and Rachel a message when I started my mission against the Collectors, but they haven’t answered... It could be that my messages were blocked. I’m not exactly in the Alliance’s good books right now...”

She frowned a bit at that. She wasn’t all that close to her parents anymore, but Warren and Rachel were her best friends. Anderson had been able to confirm that they were alive when she’d asked, but he couldn’t give her any more information about where they were, and how to contact them. It was one thing for them to not be with her on her mission – they generally didn’t work together – but for them to miss her wedding?

She made a mental note to have Liara look into contacting them. With her new contacts as the Shadow Broker, then maybe...

“Sorry,” Kolyat winced, “I didn’t think that question through very well, did I?”

She shook her head, “It’s fine. I just... Now that my mission is over, I might have better luck in getting a hold of them.”

Kolyat eventually had to leave for a shift, leaving Thane and Shepard alone together at the coffee shop.

“I haven’t really been thinking about Warren and Rachel,” She admitted.

“You’ve been preoccupied,” Thane reassured her.

“I know, but...” She sighed, “Even after we finished our mission, I didn’t think about contacting them again. Honestly, it would have taken me minutes to send Liara a message and ask her to track them down while the Normandy was getting repaired at Omega. Actually, speaking of which...”

She brought up her omni-tool, typing her message quickly before sending it off to Liara.

“Feel better?” Thane asked, taking her hand.

“A bit,” Shepard admitted, then leaned against him, “I hope Liara can find them. And that they’ll even want to see me.”

“Why wouldn’t they?”

“Because they’re Alliance, and I’m working with Cerberus?” She ventured, “You know, just a guess.”

“I think after your last talk with the Illusive Man, we can safely consider the Normandy to be independent,” Thane pointed out.

“Maybe, but that doesn’t just erase the months where I _was_ technically with them. And...” She bit her lip, “You weren’t with the team yet, on Horizon, so you didn’t see, but I ran into one of my old crew there, Kaidan Alenko. We’d been... close, on the old Normandy, but when I saw him, he wouldn’t even let me explain myself. He called me a traitor, and said that I was being manipulated... What if Warren and Rachel think the same thing? They’re not just family, they’re my best friends. I don’t...”

Thane gave her hand a squeeze, “I’m certain they’ll come around. Maybe not right away... But if they care about you at all, they’ll listen to you.”

~*~

Liara came through for her, and was able to set up a time for her to meet Warren a few days later, at a restaurant on the Presidium.

Shepard fidgeted with her clothes as they waited for him. She wasn’t used to being out of armour or uniform, but she didn’t think the Cerberus uniform would go over well with him, and she hadn’t gotten any of her Alliance gear back yet, despite Liara’s best efforts. So instead, she’d picked up a plain set of shirt and pants, which didn’t fit at all like BDUs, and she felt extremely awkward.

Thane, bless his heart, didn’t comment on her fidgeting. 

When Warren finally arrived, Shepard leapt from her seat and rushed to give him a hug.

And then she opened her mouth, “I _swear_ I didn’t just fake my death these past two years, I was in a coma... Well, sort of, that’s the short version... But I’m back now, and you’ve probably heard rumours about me being with Cerberus, and they _were_ true, but I’m not with them anymore, and I was only with them to help the missing colonists. And I _tried_ to contact you, but I think the Alliance was blocking my messages–”

“Wow, wow, calm down, Rio,” He pat her back and she finally let go and took a look at him. He looked older than she remembered. Just two years shouldn’t have done that... Was that from the toll her death had taken on him?

“Sorry,” She wiped at her eyes. When had she started crying? “It’s just... I really need you to know that I didn’t betray the Alliance. I didn’t betray _you_. The work I was doing was important, and Cerberus was the only group willing to fund it.”

He nodded, “Anderson explained everything, but he forbade me and Rachel from contacting you. Hell, just meeting you now is a risk, but Dr. T’Soni said you’d cut ties with Cerberus, so... I decided to take a chance.”

Shepard smiled, “I’m so glad... What about Rachel? Liara didn’t say anything...”

“Rachel’s on a mission right now,” He said, “She’ll be out of touch for at least a month. Anderson’s been sneaky – though the rest of the council is still denying the existence of Reapers, he’s been sending Rachel and me on recon missions under the table to try and gather intel on them. That’s part of why we couldn’t contact you. If we got compromised and tied to Cerberus through you...”

She nodded, “I understand. It would have been nice to see her, too, but... It makes sense.”

He put a hand on her shoulder, “Now that that’s out of the way and you know I won’t just yell at you and leave, let’s sit down and eat.”

“Right,” She said, leading him to the table, where Thane sat patiently, “Actually, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Thane stood when they arrived and bowed respectfully, then held out his hand, “You must be Warren. Rio’s told me a lot about you.”

Warren shook his hand, then glanced at Shepard curiously.

“Warren, this is my fiancé, Thane Krios.”

Warren froze, his eyes widening a fraction. He glanced at Shepard, then back at Thane, “Oh. Well, hello, then.”

They sat down, Shepard taking the seat next to Thane, while Warren sat across from her, “Thane helped me take down the Collectors.”

Warren raised an eyebrow, “I can’t see Cerberus working with aliens easily...”

Shepard laughed, “You’d be surprised. Drell, Turian, Quarian, Krogan, Salarian, Asari... We’ve got a lovely little multi-cultural group going.”

“It seems Cerberus believed in hiring the best talents to get the job done,” Thane explained, “Whether that talent was human or not apparently mattered very little to them.”

“So are you a soldier, then?” Warren asked, and Shepard tensed. Thane had always been straightforward about his profession with her, but she’d already known he was an assassin. She hoped he’d use a bit of discretion with Warren.

“Of a sort,” He answered carefully, “I’m technically retired, but I was trained in combat by the Hanar under the Compact.”

“Compact?”

“A contract, between the Drell and the Hanar. In exchange for the Hanar liberating us from Rakana, some of us are given to the Compact, to help them with tasks they are unable to do. As I’m sure you’re aware, Hanar aren’t very formidable in battle while on dry land.”

Warren frowned. Shepard had a fairly good idea she knew what was going through his head. She’d had her own concerns and protests about the Compact.

“So... You fight, or fought, for the Hanar?”

“Essentially,” Thane replied, “Much of what I did was classified, so I can’t elaborate. But needless to say, I have skills in combat and biotics that were of use to Rio’s mission.”

The waiter arrived to take their order, then, cutting the conversation short, much to Shepard’s relief. After they’d ordered their food, she steered the conversation to more neutral topics. She prompted Thane to talk about Kahje, and about his faith. Warren seemed fascinated by the later. Though he was agnostic, he’d always loved hearing about religions, especially non-human ones.

Thane broached the subject of Irikah and Kolyat carefully. He avoided the details behind Irikah’s death, only saying that his late wife had been killed by mercenaries, and that he and his son had had a falling out afterwards. Warren didn’t pry further, recognising it as a personal matter.

They finished their meal, and Thane left to go back to the Normandy, leaving Shepard to catch up with her brother alone.

“I’ve got to admit, I’m not sure I see the appeal,” Warren commented, “He seems nice, though, at least. But whatever happened to that Alliance guy you were dating before? Alenko?”

“Kaidan... ended that, when I met up with him last,” Shepard told him, “As for Thane, we just... We grew close during our mission. I know I haven’t known him all that long, but you know as well as I do the sort of trust that builds on the battlefield.”

“Yeah,” He agreed. He was silent for a moment, looking away from her, then, “So how sick is he?”

Shepard started. Thane hadn’t mentioned anything about his illness, “What?”

Warren looked at her, “Don’t play dumb. Remember that I started my career as a field medic. I don’t have any experience with Drell, but I can recognise ‘sick’ when I see it; The way he talked about his son, especially... like there was a time limit to set things right. And I know _you_ ; you clearly know about it, or else you wouldn’t be in such a rush to marry him, Reapers or no.”

She sighed, then brought a hand to her forehead. She hadn’t wanted to bring this up with Warren just yet, “He has a lung disease called Kepral’s Syndrome. And before you ask, it’s not contagious, so he can’t pass it on to me.”

Warren pressed his lips together in a thin line, then shook his head, “How long does he have?”

Shepard calculated quickly in her head. He’d said he had about 8 to 12 months when he first joined the Normandy. Since then it had been about... 4 months? Time tended to blur together, in space, but that seemed about right.

“He’ll be fine for another 4 to 8 months. Once the illness starts to affect him more strongly, I’m not sure how long he’ll have,” She answered, and Warren cursed.

“Rio, what are you thinking?”

She glared at him, “I’m thinking that I love him, and that whether I marry him or not that’s not going to change. So I’m going to take advantage of the time I have left with him.”

He ran a hand through his hair, “How long have you known about his illness?”

She kept his gaze stubbornly, “From the beginning. And before you say anything, I _did_ try to ignore my feelings for him. I’m not an idiot, I knew what I was getting myself into. But I would regret never acting upon my feelings far more than I’m _ever_ going to regret loving him,” She took his hand, prompting him to look at her, “Warren, you’re my brother, and my best friend. I love you, and I do care about what you think. But I love Thane, too. It would make things a lot easier on me if you could be supportive of this.”

He sighed, “Alright. Fine. You’ve made your point. I don’t really agree with you, but... Christ, you’ve always been the stubborn one.”

She smiled, “So you’ll be at the wedding?”

He nodded, “Yeah. I’m between missions for the next couple of weeks. I take it you’ll be having it soon?”

“Yeah,” She answered, “I was hoping to get a hold of Rachel first, but... Failing that, I at least have you.”

He pulled her into a hug, and she snuggled into his shoulder.

“Congratulations,” He said, “If you need anything for the ceremony, just let me know.”

“Actually, now that you mention it,” Shepard pulled away a bit, “I wanted to wear my Alliance dress uniform, but Anderson won’t give me back my old one. Liara is trying to get a hold of it through... alternate means, but if you could help me convince Anderson...”

“Sure,” He replied, “I can’t promise anything – Like I said, I technically shouldn’t even be talking to you – But I’ll see what I can do. You cutting ties with Cerberus should definitely help. And if Anderson can’t get it, I can maybe try Admiral Hackett. He’s not in as much of a spotlight as Anderson is.”

“Thank you,” She smiled again and kissed his cheek, “I’ll have Liara forward you the date as soon as we decide on it. Like you guessed, we’re hoping to have it soon, before something else comes up.”

A couple of days later, she got a message from Liara asking her to meet with Warren again. When she did, he had a clothing bag draped over his arm.

~*~

They’d decided to hold the wedding on the Normandy. Miranda had spared no expense in decorating the cargo bay for the occasion, hiding any remnants of the damage sustained from their trip through the Omega 4 relay. When Shepard had inquired about the cost, Miranda waved her off, claiming it was her wedding gift to them, and then ushered her towards the elevator to go get ready.

Unlike with humans, Drell didn’t have any superstition about the bride and groom seeing each other before the wedding. In fact, their tradition called for the opposite; They were to help prepare each other, sharing a private moment together before the public ceremony.

Shepard had agreed to it, but that had been before she’d seen the garments that she’d need to help Thane put on.

“Okay,” She said, holding up the shirt, “You’re going to have to talk me through this.”

Thane chuckled as he took off his leather jacket, placing it on her couch, “The buckles aren’t nearly as complicated as they seem, I promise.”

“What is it with Drell clothing and buckles?”

“What is it with human clothing and buttons?” He countered, motioning to her dress uniform.

“Okay, I’ll give you that one,” She laughed, putting the shirt down so that she could strip down to her underwear. When she turned back to Thane, she was rewarded with the sight of him in the buff, and didn’t hide her appreciative glance.

He caught the look and smirked, “Do you see something you like, _Siha_?”

“You could say that,” She replied teasingly, “I’m not sure if I want to wait until _after_ the wedding before consummating anymore...”

“As tempting as your offer is,” He said, looking down at her own body, giving it a very thorough inspection before raising his eyes back to her face, “I promise you that the wait will be worth it.”

“Right,” She said, not missing that he was beginning to show signs of arousal, “Delayed gratification, right?”

“Indeed,” He agreed, then turned to where her dress uniform was hanging, “So, shall we begin?”

The process of being dressed by her lover, instead of undressed, was a bit surreal. Shepard honestly couldn’t remember the last time someone else had dressed her, which really made her appreciate the intimacy of the moment. She savoured the light caress of his hands through the fabric, and the occasional brush against her bare skin. 

When her turn came, he talked her through dressing him. The clothes had a similar cut to his leathers, but were made of a softer cloth that she couldn’t quite identify. The colour was a deep red, the Drell colour for marriage, and most of the buckles, she was glad to find out, were decorative.

When she finished, he pulled her forward for a brief kiss, then smiled softly, “It’s time. Let’s not keep our guests waiting.”

She shifted nervously as they took the elevator down. It hit her, very suddenly, just how quickly this had all happened. Had it only been a couple of weeks since they’d returned from the Omega 4 relay? Since her proposal? Should they have waited? Was she rushing through this just because he was dying?

Thane reached over to the control panel, pausing the elevator’s descent. He took her hand gently, “ _Siha_?”

She shook her head, “It’s nothing. Just... cold feet.” When he looked at her in confusion, she clarified, “Sorry, human expression. It means I’m nervous. It’s pretty common for humans to panic on our wedding day and start to question everything.”

He gave her hand a squeeze, “Ah. We tend to experience similar feelings, though we don’t have a term for it. Do you need a moment?”

“No, I’m...” She started to reach for the control panel, then stopped herself. Her breathing quickened, “Oh my God, what are we doing?”

He moved quickly, standing right in front of her and taking both of her hands in his, “ _Siha_...”

She squeezed his hands hard, keeping her gaze on them instead of on his face, “I love you, Thane. God, do I love you. But are we crazy, to be doing this?”

“No more than anyone else in love,” He reassured her, then hesitated before asking his next question, “Did... you want to put off the ceremony?”

“What?” She glanced up quickly, “No, of course not! I just... I need to know, are we doing the right thing?”

His kiss was sudden, but not unwelcome. His cool lips grounded her, and by the time they parted, she could think clearly again.

“Okay,” She nodded, “So that’s a yes. Alright. I’m ready. Are you ready?”

He chuckled, “I’m ready.”

~*~

The ceremony itself was simple enough. Cross-faith marriages had become quite common since first contact, so they were able to get both a Christian priest for Shepard, and a Drell priest for Thane, to officiate it.

Warren, Kolyat, Liara, and the crew of the Normandy were the only guests. Anderson hadn’t been able to get out of his council duties, but had managed to pull a lot of strings to keep the media away, so the ceremony remained private. 

Thane took Shepard’s arm as the elevator doors opened. She glanced up at him one more time, meeting his eyes with a smile before looking ahead and beginning their walk down the aisle to a soft instrumental song.

They met the priests and their witnesses at the end of the isle. Drell had a superstition against family members being witnesses, so Thane had chosen Samara to stand for him, while Shepard had asked Garrus. 

They’d combined their traditions a bit. Drell didn’t usually do an exchange of trinkets, and couldn’t wear wedding bands with the way their fingers fused. So instead, Shepard received a ring from him, and she placed a ring for him on a chain for him to wear around his neck. 

The Drell tradition for marriage was for a cord to be tied around each of their wrists, to signify the bond between them. It was usually red, but they’d combined it with white; The Drell and human traditional marriage colours, respectively. 

They’d each chosen a piece from their respective religious texts to use as vows. She’d chosen a passage from 1st Corinthians, one of the most popular biblical messages about love. Thane spoke about Ishu and Ahalar, the Drell patron gods of marriage and companionship.

When the ceremony called for a kiss, a tradition shared by both Drell and humans, Thane grinned mischievously, tugging on the marriage cord to pull Shepard towards him. She stumbled forward, laughing as he caught her. They kissed to the applause of their crew. She noticed a couple of flashes as some took pictures. 

The reception was held in the cargo bay as well, with EDI acting as a DJ. There was some catering brought in, courtesy once gain of Miranda. Drell didn’t usually hold receptions, but Shepard had insisted on having one, explaining the custom of a married couple’s first dance, and then reassuring him that slow dances were simple enough that even _she_ couldn’t mess it up.

 

She danced first with Thane, and then with Warren, who congratulated her again.

“It looks like my baby sister’s all grown up,” He teased.

“We’re the same age, you ass,” She retorted.

He laughed, “In all seriousness, though... I’m proud of you. You know, I never got a chance to congratulate you on becoming a Spectre in person. You were obviously busy, chasing that rogue Spectre, Saren, and I meant to say something afterwards, but then the Council kept sending you away and...”

“And then I died,” She finished.

“Well, reported dead, anyway,” He shrugged.

Shepard looked away for a bit. She and Warren had been through a lot together. It didn’t feel right to keep the real story from him, “Warren... You should probably know this, but... I really was dead. Like, properly dead, not in a coma. Cerberus didn’t just nurse me back to health, they literally resurrected me.”

Warren stopped moving for a second, and she had to nudge him to continue, reminding him that people were watching.

“How is that even possible?” 

Shepard shrugged, “If you want details, you can ask Miranda. She was in charge of the project. I’ll warn you though, when I tried asking her, she just sort of... spoke science at me.” Warren laughed, and she had to join him, “I really didn’t understand a word of it.”

He shook his head, “That’s... I’m no fan of Cerberus, but if they really did that, then I guess they can’t be all bad.”

Shepard snorted, “Don’t give them too much credit. They didn’t bring me back out of the goodness of their heart. They needed a face the public could trust to get the job done. The only reason they didn’t just clone me outright was because they knew it wouldn’t fool anyone.”

“Still...” He looked away, “Losing you was really hard, Rio. I know we don’t see each other as much as we used to, but, god, you’re my twin sister. When I heard, I... I didn’t handle it very well. If it wasn’t for Rachel... And then when the council started denying everything you’d worked to uncover about the Reapers, it felt like a slap in the face.”

_If it wasn’t for Rachel..._ Shepard blanched at what the rest of that sentence could have been. She knew her brother was prone to depression, and he didn’t handle loss well. He’d been in particularly bad shape after losing his squad on Akuze. It had taken him a long time to recover from it. If her death had brought him anywhere near that mindset...

She leaned into his chest, clinging to him closely, “I’m here now.”

After her dance with Warren finished, EDI put on some more upbeat music for everyone to dance to, and Shepard was pleased to find that the crew had apparently decided to keep the ribbing about her dancing skills to a minimum. The few jokes that _were_ passed around revolved around pointing out that it seemed to run in the family, as Warren was just as terrible of a dancer as she was.

~*~

An insistent alert from her private terminal woke Shepard up the next morning.

She groaned and buried her face in Thane’s neck. He laughed and rubbed her back, “It seems duty calls, _Siha_.”

“I thought I told Miranda to block all my calls for the next week.”

“I believe you were thinking clearly enough at the time to specify that she was to block all but _emergency_ calls. Which means you should probably find a shirt.”

She sighed, then pulled herself away from him. Instead of trying to find her own shirt, she instead grabbed his leather jacket from the couch and slipped it on. She heard a surprised noise coming from him, and turned to find him sitting up and openly admiring her.

“That looks good on you,” Was all he said.

She smiled slyly, “I’ll remember that.”

She zipped the jacket up to cover herself, then walked over to the terminal.

“Incoming message from Admiral Steven Hackett, Alliance HQ,” The automated voice on the terminal said, before Hackett himself came on the line, “Commander Shepard, I need to discuss a sensitive matter with you privately.”

She sighed, glancing over at Thane. He nodded, and dressed quickly without question.

“Sorry,” She mumbled when he passed by, and he shook his head, leaning over to kiss her.

“I’ll be right outside, once you’re done.”

Once the door closed, she opened up the video chat.

The glass of her display case went opaque, and the Admiral’s face appeared on the screen. To his credit, he didn’t seem bothered by her unprofessional appearance.

“Commander, thank you for your time,” He started, “I’ll keep this brief.”

~*~

Thane smiled when the lock on Shepard’s door turned green again, and keyed it open. His smile faded when he saw that Shepard was still sitting at her terminal, leaning against the desk with her head in her hands.

He walked up to her slowly and ran his hands up her arms, “What is it?”

“He’s sending me on an urgent solo mission in Batarian space.”

Thane made a disapproving sound, then moved his hands to her shoulders, massaging them gently, “And there was no one else qualified to do this mission?”

She shook her head, “Things are... tense, between the Batarians and the Alliance. If an Alliance soldier gets caught in Batarian space, it could cause a huge mess. But right now, I’m not technically _with_ the Alliance, so they have deniability if I get caught.”

“And you’re the best freelancer they know of,” Thane finished.

“Exactly,” She sighed, “Plus, it seems to be related to the Reapers, which, let’s face it, is sort of my specialty.”

“So it seems like our... what was it you called it? A... honeymoon? Has been cut short.”

“Delayed. We’ll go once I get back,” She corrected, then turned to look up at him, “I’ve already sent a message to Joker with the coordinates; we should be in the Bahak system in a few hours. In the meantime... I believe you were telling me how good I look in your jacket?”

~Fin~


End file.
